Education director Tracy Joseph reported to the Crescent Leadership Academy school board last week that the Recovery School District has said it wants all students to be moved out of portable classrooms by 2014.
Renovations will be made to portable classrooms for those schools that can’t move all of their students into regular classrooms. Crescent Leadership Academy does not have the space to accommodate a recent increase in student enrollment, so the school is considering other options.
At an Oct. 15 meeting of the board, Joseph said she has had discussions with George Washington Carver high school about a vacant space available on its campus. Carver is considering offering the space to Crescent Leadership Academy to host some of its students.
Crescent Leadership Academy’s rent will double as of Dec 31, 2013. The school is currently in negotiations over the lease. Joseph said neither the Recovery School District nor the Orleans Parish School Board has a vacant building to move students into.
School principal Chauncey Nash reported that as of Oct. 1, Crescent Leadership Academy had a total of 226 students enrolled.
The Center for Research on Education Outcomes, which oversees New Schools of New Orleans, visited Crescent Leadership Academy and interviewed Nash and two other teachers on the school’s progress.
Tammy Lancaster of Rites of Passage, a company hired by the board, reported that there was a positive bottom line in the school’s budget last month. They expect improvement in cash flow over the next several months as they receive grant money.
The Crescent Leadership Academy board is still searching for a member to assist with fundraising. The board voted and approved creation of a governance committee and plans to draft new bylaws.
Board members Helen Berrigan, Marlon Ford, Kevin Maney and Allison Albert attended the meeting. Jim Letten and Maurice Lightfoot were absent. The meeting was called to order at 4:41 p.m. and adjourned at 5:03 p.m.
This is a D school. Actually, how does one “run” a school in the black (i.e., financially speaking) with only 226 students? And this board is buying the story (from a company hired by the board? how much?) that there will be an adequate cash flow (based on grants)! I smell a 2014 “F” coming, in addition to imminent financial problems. Another instance of the RSD taking years to react. Perhaps the Center for Research on Education Outcomes should watch New Schools for New Orleans (NSNO – sitting OPSB member Sarah Usdin’s baby) more closely, or is this another case of the fox watching the henhouse and reporting on the number of chickens to another well-meaning, but uninformed nonprofit charter board?!